Priceline Hotel: 3* Berlin (East) Courtyard

[larrylaffer]

Hi All,

Wondering if anyone could suggest a strategy for Berlin for 24/1-28/1? Do not know what areas are central for tourist stuff but willing to take suggestions. Do you think a 4* would be possible for less than 100?

Also, I will shortly do some bidding for Paris, Budapest and Barcelona - are priceline competitive in these areas? If so, I will create a new thread. Always happy to continue to support the site by using the appropriate links.

[thereuare]

Not sure of these particular dates as i'm not sure which zone(s) you're considering, but we do/have seen 4* bids at the $100 and under mark in the past. Hopefully somebody else will be able to advise, or through research you'll be able to figure out which one(s) are appropriate, and we'll be able to suggest a strategy to follow.

In regards to Paris, the opaque providers are often competitive, but you need to be flexible in regards to location as the zones are often large and there are some less desirable hotels in some of the zones. If you'd like help with that part of your stay please do start a new topic.

[larrylaffer]

Thanks thereuare. Happy to take the following zones at the 4* level.

Tiergarten - Kufuerstendamm

or East Berlin.

[WillTravel]

Unless there's a big trade fair or something, Berlin hotel rates tend to be very reasonable, and your $100 limit has a good chance of working, but I didn't check rates for your dates.

The area I consider absolutely most convenient for sightseeing is in Mitte, around the Westin Grand (at the intersection of Friedrichstrasse and Unter den Linden). That hotel used to come up quite often as a 4* win (and I won it a few years ago), but not so much lately. However, I think I have seen it on Hotwire (my guess anyway from the amenities).

The problem with Priceline zones is that the Mitte hotels are in the East zone, and the East zone extends, as you might expect, very far east. I don't recall any 4* wins of hotels that were way far out, but it could happen theoretically. The other zone that has 4* hotels, Tiergarten - Kufuerstendamm, also has some areas that are pretty far from the center, although again I don't recall any terribly inconvenient 4* hotels being won. Berlin does have an excellent transit system even if you do get stuck on the edge of those huge zones.

On our second trip to Berlin, we booked directly on the Accorhotels.com site (through the BetterBidding support page link) and stayed at the Mercure Hotel Berlin An Der Charite - a nice, well-reviewed 3* hotel. I would check the Accorhotels site just in case there is a great deal for your dates for a hotel that you would like. Another time, although we did not end up going to Berlin that time, I had a very good rate for the Mercure Checkpoint Charlie (which shows up as a Priceline 4*), for 63 Euros per night booked through Booking.com .

[larrylaffer]

Thanks very much Willtravel. Yes the westin would be nice if it were to come up.

I got up to $78 today and had no luck. Will try again tomorrow when my 24 hour period expires. How much do you think the Westin is going for on HOTWIRE?

[thereuare]

The Westin has not yet been reported to the board on HOTWIRE so i don't think anyone would be able to know at what rate it's being offered... if it's being offered at all.

[WillTravel]

I should have been clearer. I think I've seen it in the past on HOTWIRE - it had a pool and some other amenities, but I never bought it. I don't know if it's available on your dates.

[larrylaffer]

Had to change dates to 28/1-2/2. Ended up with the COURTYARD Marriott 3* for $55 per night. Used the SavingsBarn. PRICELINE links. Thanks to all. Could the title of the thread be updated to reflect the win.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your win!

Thank you for sharing it with the board and using the SavingsBarn.com links to begin your priceline bidding.

Enjoy your stay.

[tenerifesharon]

The Marriott Courtyard is really quite nice - comfortable, quiet rooms. It may seem out of the way, but is very close to an U-Bahn (subway) station and a bus line. It's walkable to lots of sightseeing such as Checkpoint Charlie etc. We were there a few months ago on an eBay-Germany win which included 2 nights and (excellent) breakfast buffet. I think I paid about